UNHCR worried by split among Bhutanese refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief in Nepal Abraham Abraham has said he is not happy by the news of split among the Bhutanese refugees due to the issue of third country resettlement.
Speaking at the face-to-face programme at the Reporter's Club in the capital on Friday, Abraham said, division among the refugee leaders was not what the agency wanted.
He also expressed concern over the possibilities of intimidation in the camps and said the refugees were misinformed of the third country resettlement programme.
He, however, said the agency is not going to force any refugee for third country. "They can choose the option on their own wisdom: repatriation, local integration or third country settlement."
Abraham, who had just returned from his visit to refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang districts, claimed there are many who wanted to be settled in a third country.
He added the best solution of the one-and-a-half-decade long crisis would be repatriation.
Earlier, the agency had said it was ready to help resolve the refugee crisis if invited by Nepal and Bhutan governments to take part in the upcoming bilateral talks in Thimphu slated for later this month.
Abraham also said the agency is in regular contact with the government of Bhutan. nepalnews.com ia Nov 11 06
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